Editor’s Note: This news article contains graphic content.
CLEARFIELD – A Clearfield man facing numerous sexual assault charges from incidents beginning in 2001 has decided to plead guilty.
Franklin William Wilson, 41, 102 Putty Rd., Clearfield, is charged with a total of 1,215 counts of various charges including multiple counts of aggravated indecent assault, rape of a child, indecent assault, statutory sexual assault, sexual assault, indecent exposure, dissemination explicit sexual material to minors, and corruption of minors. This case was scheduled to go to a five-day trial starting May 16.
On Tuesday Wilson signed a plea agreement. He will be evaluated to determine if he is a sexually violent predator and be scheduled for sentencing after that, according to court documents.
An investigation into Wilson began after he touched a 10-year-old girl inappropriately, exposed himself to her and showed her online pornography on his phone, according to the affidavit of probable cause. Afterwards, he told her not to tell her mother.
A search warrant was issued for the phone, which was seized and examined for evidence. A detective was able to find the images the girl described as well as hundreds or thousands of pornographic images. He had viewed hundreds of adult Web sites.
As the investigation continued, an officer found another report from Children and Youth Services involving Wilson. When this victim was interviewed, she stated that he abused her beginning when she was only six years old. This abuse started with him touching her inappropriately while she was in the bathroom. Because of this, the girl was terrified of going into the bathroom and chose to urinate and defecate in a shed. She did not tell anyone of the abuse and this behavior led to her being sent away for counseling.
As the years passed, the abuse became more serious and violent. When she had friends around, this victim said Wilson would abuse them as well. He forced them to be involved in sexual acts or they were not permitted to have food or drinks. He also showed them pornography.
This victim said the abuse escalated when she was in fifth grade. He showed her pornography of a woman performing oral sex on a male, and then he forced her to do the same. As she got older, he had sex with her almost every single day.
She was frightened that he was going to hurt her or her family. She found bullets in her drawers, a knife in her dresser drawer and razor blades on the headboard of her bed, she said.
Officers were able to contact the other girls the victim had named and interviewed them. One of them said he was perverted and inappropriate towards them. He would touch them as they slept and she was afraid to tell anyone because he threatened to kill them, she said.
The fourth victim said he showed them pornography and had sexual contact with them. A fifth girl said he made her touch the victim inappropriately as he made them watch pornography. She said she is terrified of Wilson. The final victim said he offered money to see her naked in the shower. He also made her and the others watch pornography before being able to use a four-wheeler, she said.
Police attempted to set up an interview to discuss these accusations with Wilson, but he failed to show up for the interview or contact the investigating officer.
After a preliminary hearing in August, the charges related to the original 10-year-old girl were dismissed and re-filed in September under a different case number. He later waived those charges on to the court of common pleas and both cases were scheduled to be heard together in May.